Mold and molding apparatus



Sept. 5, 1944. P. M. MUELLER MOLD AND MOLDING, APPARATUS a sheets-sheet1 Filed April 22, 1942 UPI 8 6 r 00 2 4 av m wa w r 5 m M 1 L I 9 3 PaulW W;- Z302 diifys P P. M. MUELLER 2,357,780

MOLD AND MOLDING APPARATUS Filed April 22, 1942 s Sheets-Sheet 2 F=Y- i2 O O 5 O O 69 j 69 l L o 65 )i o umg g.

Sept. 5, 1944. P. M. MUELLER 2,357,730

MOLD AND MOLDING APPARATUS Filed April 22, 1942 V 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 g b-1 LUH g .J mmhww w m m rmwuuk I L 00 p. U I IH IHHH I IIHHHnHHHHHWHHHhHHHNHm lllll llll I Ill IC: 11 N mm\ m\\ m mmi QM 9v w Dm NWQ BN Patented Sept. 5, 1944 assuso MOLD AND MOLDING APPARATUS PaulM. Mueller, Rome, N. Y., assignmto Revere Copper and Brass Incorporated,Rome, N. Y., a

corporation of Maryland Application April 22, 1942, Serial No. 439,998

18 Claims.

My invention relates to molds and molding apparatus particularly, butnot exclusively, for use in casting elongated billets of copper and itsalloys.

The invention, which has among its objects the provision of a watercooled mold into which the molten metal may be readily poured and fromwhich the castingmay be readily removed, will be best understood fromthe following description when read in the light of the accompanyingdrawings of a specific embodiment of the invention selected forillustrative purposes, while the scope of the invention will be moreparticularly pointed out in the appended claims,

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of a mold and its mounting accordingtothe invention;

Figs. 2 and 3 are enlarged views of the upper and lower ends,respectively, of the mold according to Fig. 1;

Figs. 4 and 5 are sections on the lines 44 and 55 of Fig. 1, with partsomitted;

Fig. 6 is a section on the line Ii-6 of Fig. 3; and

' Fig. '7 is an elevation, with parts omitted, showing the mold andassociated mechanism for operating it.

Referring to they drawings, the mold illustrated comprises a tube I ofcircular cross-section, the interior walls of which tube define thelatera1 walls of an elongated mold chamber. The tube is preferably adrawn seamless copper tube. The size of such tube may vary of course tosuit the dimensions of the billet to be cast. Among such sizes employedin practice is mentioned a tube about 80 inches long having an internaldiameter of 7 inches and a wall thickness of 0.5 inch.

For supporting the tubeI is shown an outer tube 3, of suit"ble materialsuch as mild steel. Closing the lower end of the annular space betweenthe tubes I and 3. as viewed in Fig. 1, is

shown a ring-like member 5, this member having a flange I inserted inthe lower end of the tube I and welded thereto about the periphery of thflange, as shown at 8 in Fig. 3. Closing the upper end of the annularspace between the tubes I and 3 is shown a. ring-like member 9 having anannular interiorly screw-threaded flange II into which the upper end ofthe tube 3 is screw-threaded.

The ring-like member 5 at the lower end of the mold is shown as providedwith a downwardly extending annular flange I3 into which the lower endof the tube I is screw threaded. so as flange I1 and the adjacentportions of the ringlike member 9 are formed to provide an annularrecess 23 surrounding the tube I, in which recess is a packing ring 25surrounding the tube and positioned between the bottom of the recess andthe lower end of an annular flange 21 on the packing gland 2i. Byscrewing down the stud bolts 29 securing the gland to the member 9 thepacking ring may be compressed between the bottom of the recess and thelower end of the flange 21 to make a fluid tight joint between thering-like member 9 and the tube I. As the lower end of the tube I isfixedly secured to the tube 3, the former may expand longitudinallyrelative to the latter when molten metal is poured into the moldchamber.

As shown, a tube 3| is positioned concentrically with the tubes I and 3in the space between those tubes, so as to divide that space into anouter annular chamber 33 and an inner annular chamber 35. The ends ofthe tube 3| are shown as somewhat spaced from the ring-like members 5and 9 to provide annular chambers 31 adjacent the lower and upper ends,respectively, of the mold chamber, these annular chambers 31 serving toplace the annular chambers 33 and 3-5 in fluid communication. Forsupporting the tube 3I suitable spacing rings 39 may be positionedbetween that tube and the tube 3, these spacing rings being providedwith perforations 4| for .passage of cooling water.

divide the annular chamber 33 into two contlg uous longitudinallyarranged sections, so that cooling water entered through the opening 43may flow downwardly through the lower section into the lower annularchamber 31, from which latter it may flow into the lower end of theannular chamber 35 and upwardly through the latter into the upperannular chamber 31, hence into the upper end 0! the upper section 01.the

annular chamber 33 and discharge from the lowbetween the contactingi'rusto-conical surfaces.

er end of that section through the opening 45 in the tube 3.

It will be noted that the cooling fiuid in the lower section of theannular chamber 35 is in heat conducting relation to the fluid in thatportion of the annular chamber 33 which it surrounds and that thefractions of the fluid respectively in the two chambers flow in counterdirections. It has been found that, this will act to make thetemperature of the fluid in the chamber 33 more uniform throughout thelength of the billet, even if suflicient metal is poured into the moldchamber substantially to fill it. than otherwise would be the case inabsence of such relation of heat conduction and fluid flow, and thus thearrangement secures a better cooling of the billet, Generallyconsidered, best results will be secured in these respects by making thelower section of the annular chamber 33 as long as feasible with thefluid inlet close to its upper end. and in extreme cases the lowersection could well be the length oi. the billet being cast so as tosecure counter flow of fluid the entire length of the billet, it beingunderstood that the length of the billet is governed by the amount '01metal poured into the mold chamber.

The construction so far described may be fabricated by placing the ring46 and the several rings 39 over the tube 3| and welding the rings abouttheir inner peripheries to the tube, as indicated at 41. Then the tube3| with these rings may be slipped into the tube 3, and the outerperipheries of the rings 39 at the ends of the tube 3! may be welded, asindicated at 48, to the interior walls of the tube 3 irom the ends ofthe latter. The bottom ring-like member 5 may then be inserted in thelower end of the tube 3 and the periphery of the flange l or that memberbe welded to the tube, as hereinbefore mentioned, to make a fluid tightjoint between them. The upper ring-like member 8 may then be screwed onthe tube 3, after which the tube may be inserted through the opening inthis ring and its lower end screwed into the ring-like member 5, andfinally the packing ring 25 and packing gland 2| may be placed inposition and the stud bolts 29 inserted and screwed up to compress thepacking ring. The outer peripheral edge of the ring 46 is preferablybeveled slidably to lit the interior peripheral walls of the tube 8,that edge not being secured to those walls so as to permit the mold tobe assembled in the way Just described, any slight amount of leakagethat may occur past the ring 46 being immaterial. derstood that theintermediate ring be similarly slidably fits the interior walls of thetube 3 so as to permit assembly of the mold parts.

As illustrated, the mold is supported on oppositely extending trunnions69 and iii positioned above the center of gravity of the mold, as viewedin Fig. 1. so that the latter normally tends to assume a verticalposition. These trunnions are carried by a ring-like member 53 formedwith a irusto-conical opening 55, the smaller end of said opening beingat the bottom of the member 53, as viewed in Fig. 1. Surrounding thetube 3, and secured thereto as by welding, is a sleeve 51 hav ing ai'rusto-conical exterior wall fitting the frusto-conical wall of theopening 55. The sleeve 51 at its upper end is provided with an annularflange 69 having spaced perforations through which extend stud bolts 6!tapped into the upper side of the member 53 for securing the mold tothat member and for making a fluid tight joint It will also be 1111- 5The sleeve 51, as shown, is provided with hooks 83, for attachment to achain or the like of a hoist, so that when the stud bolts 6| are removedthe mold with the sleeve 51 may be drawn trom the member 53. It will beunderstood that molds of different diameter, each carrying sleeves 51 ofthe same outer diameter, may be readily substituted for each other, sothat when a different diameter billet is required the appropriate moldmay be inserted in the ring-like member 53.

As illustrated, the trunnions 49 and 5| are provided with longitudinallyextending axially disposed passages opening on the ends of thetrunnions. The ends of the trunnions are shown as rotatably mounted inroller bearings 81 carried by hearing brmkets 89. These bearing bracketsare provided with openings H for attachment of pipe connections 13(Figs. 4 and 7) for conducting cooling water to the passage 65 oi thetrunnion 5| and discharging it from the passage 65'0! the trunnion 49,the sleeve 51 being provided with openings 15 placing the passages 65 incommunication with the adjacent opening 33 or 45. For insuring properalignment of the passages 65 in the trunnions with the openings 15 ofthe sleeve 51 the latter is provided exteriorly thereof with alongitudinally extending key 18 which fits a cooperating keyway 11formed in the interior surface of the opening 55 in the member 53. Eachbearing bracket is'shown as provided with a ring packing 'l8, ofsuitable construction, for packing the joint between the bearing bracketand trunnion, so as to prevent leakage of water from the interior oi thebracket to the adjacent roller bearing.

The mold chamber defined by the tube 4 in the present embodiment oi. theinvention is, as shown, closed at its lower end by a removable bit orstopper i9. This stopper is oi. cylindrical.

cross-section and may be slid into the end of the tube I through theopening 8| in the lower ringlike member 5. The bit may be securedagainst falling out, when the parts are in the position shown by Fig. 1,by oneor more retaining pins 83 removably inserted through alignedopenings 85 and 81 in the tube I and flange 13 of the ringlike member 5,respectively. When a new tube is inserted to replace a worn tube theopening 81 may serve as a jig for drilling the opening 85 in the. tube.Conveniently the pin 83 is provided with a downturned portion a9permitting it to be readily removed, while the bit '19 may beconveniently provided with an outwardly extendingshank 9| having a head93 serving as means for grasping the bit by any convenient instru--mentality for handling it.

As shown by Figs. 1 and 7, the bearing brackets 69 are mounted onpillars 95 extending upwardly from the bottom of a pit 9?. On thetrunnion 5! is non-rotatably secured, as by means of a key 99 (Fig. 1),a quadrant sheave i0! for a chain I03, the latter being received in theperipheral groove I05 formed in the rim I01 of the sheave. Asillustrated, the end I09 (Fig. 5) of the chain is secured to theadjacent end of the rim of the quadrant sheave, while its other end isattached at Ill (Fig. 7) to the end of the piston rod N3 of a piston H4reciprocally mounted in a, cylinder H5. Suitable connections (not shown)under the control of a manually operated valve are provided foradmitting compressed air to and from the opposite ends of the cylinderH5 for reciprocating the piston H4 and piston rod I I3. When the pistonrod is in the position shown by Fig. 7 the mold will be in its verticalposition shown by that figure, and when th piston rod is moved to theright to the oppo site end of its stroke the chain I03 acting on thequadrant sheave will tilt the mold into its dotted line horizontalposition. Conveniently, the web 6, which connects the rim to the hub ofthe quadrant sheave, is cut away, as shown at ill, at the right handside of its vertical axis as viewed in Fig. 5, to cause the uncut awayportion at the opposite side of said axis tooverbalance the weight ofthe chain and act to keep the chain under tension when the .piston H4 ismoving to the left, as viewed in Fig. 7, and when the mold is in itsvertical position.

In alignment with the mold when the latter is in its horizontal positionis a cylinder H8 hav ing a piston rod H9 operated by the reciprocatorypiston l2| within said cylinder. By means of suitable connections underthe control of a manually operated valve, compressed air may be admittedto and exhausted from opposite ends of the cylinder for reciprocatingthe piston rod, which latter has a head I23 adapted to enter the openend of the mold chamber and push therefrom the billet, the latter beingindicated by dotted lines at B in-Fig. 7, onto a suitable conveyerschematically indicated by the row of rolls I25. Preparatory to pushingthe billet out of the mold the retaining pin 83 for the bit or stopper19 may be removed so that the billet when operated upon by the head I23of the piston rod 9 will push the bit from the mold. After the billet ispushed out of the mold the piston rod 9 may be retracted and the bit 19replaced together with the bit retaining pin 83, and then the mold maybe swung to its vertical position by causing the'piston rod I I3 to moveinto its position shown by Fig. 'l, causing themold to move again intoits vertical position so that another billet may be cast.

made from theform of the invention shown without departing from thespirit of said invention.

I claim:

1. Molding apparatus having, in combination, an axially elongated mold,a mold support com prising a member having a recess for removablyreceiving said mold at an intermediate portion of its length only, meansfor supporting said member for tilting transversely of the axis of saidmold, and coolin fluid conducting passages in said mold and mold supportadapted to be placed in communication when said mold is received by saidrecess, said mold and mold support having cooperating means for makingsuch communication fluid tight when said mold is so received. 1

2. Molding apparatus having, in combination, an axially elongated mold,a mold support com-- prising a member adapted to surround said mold atan intermediate portion of its length only, said member having anopening through which said mold is adapted to be removably insertedendwise to'cause said member to so surround it, means for supportingsaid member for tilting about an axis transversely of the axis of saidmold at said intermediate portion, and cooling fluid conducting inletand outlet passages in said mold and mold support adapted respectivelyto be placed in communication when said mold is inserted in saidopening, the walls of said opening and the portion of said mold receivedthereby having cooperating means for making such communication fluidtight when said mold is so inserted. v

3. Molding apparatus having, in combination, a mold having a passage forcoohng fluid, a port for said passage opening on the exterior of saidmold, a mold support having a passage for said fluid, which passage hasa port opening on the exterior of said support, and means for detachablysecuring said mold to said mold support with said ports in registry.

4. Molding apparatus having, in combination, a mold support comprising abody mounted for tilting movement, said body having an opening providedwith an interior wall surface inclined toward one end of said opening, amold removably received in said opening, which mold has an exteriorsurface so inclined as to flt against said inclined surface of saidopening, said mold and mold support having registering cool ng fluidconducting passages opening on said inclined surfaces thereof, and meansfor forcing said surfaces into contact for making a fluid tight jointbetween them.

5. Molding apparatus having, in combination, a mold support comprising abody mounted for tilting movement, an opening in said body, a moldremovably received in said opening, cooling fluid conducting passages insaid mold and mold support, which passages open on said mold and moldsupport interiorly of said opening for communication with each other,and means making a fluid tightjoint between said mold and thesurrounding portion of said mold support.

6. Molding apparatus having, in combination. a mold support mounted fortilting movement, which support is formed with a through opening ofcircular transverse cross-section, a mold extending through saidopening, said mold and mold support being each formed with a coolingfluid conducting passage opening on the exterior thereof interiorly ofsaid opening in said mold support for communication with each other; the

' walls of said opening in said mold support, and

the exterior of said mold interiorly of said opening, havin a fluidtight circumferential flt with each other at portions thereof betweeneach end of said opening in said mold support and the places of openingthereinto of said passages.

7. Molding apparatus having, in combination, a mold slipoprt comprisinga body formed with a through opening and oppositely extending trunnions,the latter for mounting said support for tilting movement, said openinghaving an interior frusto-conical surface, a cooling fluid conductingpassage in each trunnion opening interiorly of said opening on saidsurface, a mold removably extending through said opening and having anexterior frusto-conioal surface fitting said interior frusto-conicalsurface of said opening, cooling fluid conducting passages in said moldopening exteriorly thereof on said exterior frusto-conical surface ofthe mold for communication with the passages in said trunnions and meansfor forcing said frusto-conical surfaces forming a passage connectingthe passage in one of said trunnions to one end of said cooling fluidconducting passage for the mold chamber walls and another passage forconnecting the passage in the other of said trunnions to the oppositeend of said cooling fluid conducting passa'ge-for the mold chamberwalls, said passages which connect the passages in the trunnions toopposite ends, respectively, of the cooling fluid conducting passage forthe mold chamber walls surrounding said cooling fluid conducting passagein heat transfer relation to it and collectively extending from adjacentone end of the mold chamber to adjacent the other.

9. A mold according to claim 8 in which those passages which connect thepassages in the trunnions to opposite ends, respectively, of the coolingfluid conducting passage for the mold chamber walls are contiguousannular chambers surrounding said cooling fluid conducting passage.

10. A mold according to claim 8 in which the cooling fluid conductingpassage for the mold chamber walls is an annular passage surroundingsaid walls from adjacent one end of the mold chamber to the other, andthe passages which connect the passages in the trunnions to oppositeends of said annular cooling fluid conducting passage are contiguousannular chambers surroundin said annular cooling fluid conductingpassage.

11. A mold having, in combination, a wall defining the lateral sides ofan elongated mold chamber, a body surrounding such chamber wall inspaced relation thereto from adjacent one end of the mold chamber to theother, a partition wall surrounding said chamber wall between the latterand the interior walls of said body in spaced relation to each, whichpartition wall extends from adjacent one end of the mold chamber toadjacent the other, and fluid conducting connections for enteringcooling fluid into the space at the outer side of said partition walland for discharging such fluid from said space into the space at theopposite side of said partition wall adjacent one end of the moldchamber and for discharging it from the last mentioned space adjacentthe opposite end of the mold chamber.

12. A mold according to claim 11 in which the fluid conductingconnections cause the cooling fluid at the outer side of the partitionwall to flow counter to the cooling fluid at the dpposite side of saidwall.

13. A mold having, in combination, a wall defining the lateral sides "ofan elongated mold chamber, a body surrounding such chamber wall inspaced relation thereto from adjacent one end of the mold chamber to theother, a longitudinally extending partition wall surrounding saidchamber wall between the latter and the interior walls of said body inspaced relation to each, which partition wall extends from adjacent oneend of the mold chamber to adjacent the other, a transversely extendingpartition wall dividing the space at the outer side of saidlongitudinally extending partition wall .into two longi tudinallyarranged sections, means establishing fluid communication between thoseends of said sections and the space at the inner side of saidlongitudinally extending partition wall which are adjacent the ends ofthe mold chamber, and means for entering cooling fluid into one of saidsections adjacent said transversely extending partition wall and fordischarging such fluid from the other of said sections adjacent saidtransversely extending partition wall.

14. A mold having, in combination, a wall defining the lateral sides ofa normally closed bottom elongated vertical mold chamber, which wallalso deflnes the inner side of a water jacket which surrounds said wallthroughout substantially the length of the mold chamber, a water jacketsurrounding the first mentioned water jacket in heat transfer relationtherewith, and connections for passing cooling water through the lastmentioned water jacket and discharging it into the first mentioned waterjacket adjacent one end of the mold chamber for flow through said firstmentioned jacket counter to the flow through said last mentioned jacket.

15. A mold having, in combination, means forming the lateral walls of amold chamber with a water jacket surrounding said walls throughoutsubstantially the length of the mold chamber, a second water jacketsurrounding the first mentioned water jacket in heat transfer relationtherewith, and connections for entering cooling water into said secondwater jacket and discharging it therefrom into said first mentionedwater jacket for flow of such water through said jackets in series.

16. A mold having, in combination, an inner tube defining the lateralwalls of an elongated mold chamber, a supporting tube surrounding thefirst mentioned tube in laterally spaced relation thereto, meansadjacent each end of the mold chamber for closing the ends of the-spacebetween said tubes, a third tube, the latter being positioned betweenthe two first mentioned tubes in laterally spaced relation to them andextending at least approximately the length of the mold chamber, meansdividing the space between said third tube and said supporting tube intotwo contiguous longitudinally extending annular sections, meansestablishing fluid communication between the end portions of the spacebetween said third tube and inner tube and the corresponding ends ofsaid sections, means for entering cooling fluid into one of saidsections adjacent its opposite end and discharging it from the other ofsaid sections adjacent its corresponding end.

17. A mo'ld having, in combination, an inner tube defining the lateralwalls of an elongated mold chamber, a supporting tube surrounding saidinner tube in laterally spaced relation thereto, ring-like membersadjacent each end of the mold chamber closing the space between saidtubes, to one of which members said inner tube is removably rigidlyattached and through the other of which it slidably extends, a thirdtube, the latter being positioned between said two first mentioned tubesin laterally spaced relation to each with the interior of said thirdtube communicating with its exterior adjacent opposite ends of the moldchamber, an inclined partition ring at an intermediate portion of thelength of the mold chamber dividing the space between said thirdtube andsupporting tube into two longitudinally arranged sections, an inlet forcooling fluid to one of said sections adjacent said partition rin at oneside thereof and an outlet for cooling fluid from the other of saidsections-adjacent said partition ring.

18. A mold having, in combination, an elongated inner tube of metal ofrelatively high heat conductivity such as copper, a removable stopperfor one end of said tube so that the interior of said tube may form amold chamber for molten metal poured into the tube through its end 0D--posite said stopper, an outer tube surrounding the first tube with theirwalls in spaced relation, a bottom ring-like member connecting one endoi one oi said tubes to the adjacent end 01' the other and closing thespace between them at those ends, a top ring-like member carried by theopposite end of the outer tube, through which latter ring-like memberthe adjacent end of the inner tube slidably extends, means packing thejoint between said inner tube and said top ring-like member, anintermediate tube carried by said outer tube interiorly oi the latter,

which intermediate tube surrounds the inner tube in spaced relation tothe walls 01' both the inner and outer tubes. each end of saidintermediate tube being spaced from the adjacent ring-like member toform a space at each end of the tube, into eachoi which spaces theadjacent end of each of the spaces between said tube and the inner andouter tubes opens, spaced 16 communicate with the other of saidsections.

PAUL M. MUELLER

